Life is Advent.

"Be alert, be alert, so that you will be able to recognize your Lord in your husband, your wife, your parents, your children, your friends, your teachers, but also in all you read in the daily papers.  The Lord is coming, always coming.  When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize Him at any moment of your life.  Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord." -Henri Nouwen

These are exceptional days of waiting.  Not only do we await the coming of the Christ-child, and the second coming of our Lord and King- but our family awaits the arrival of our sweet baby and the day when we will be released from our Homeland Ministry Assignment to return to Uganda.  In all the waiting it is easy to grow impatient.  When we fix our eyes only on what is to come, we miss what is already here. 

Feeling sick as I enter the final days and weeks of pregnancy has caused me to grow weary of the waiting.  Wondering how the Lord will raise up our team of champions and if there is anything more we could be doing make these days feel like we're in a holding pattern.  But He is here.  He is at work in our midst.  My body is doing what it needs to in preparation for labor and delivery.  Our prayers are being heard and our presence is being used to build our support team.  I just need to open my eyes and look for the evidence of His coming in each moment. 

And so I count all the ways I see Him coming:

7495.  crib. closet organizer. itty bitty diapers. getting ready.

7501.  big bumps and kicks and hiccups. this life within me.

7509.  early morning solitude- a limited gift.  baby is coming soon!
7510.  3 cm on December 5.
7511.  how marvelously You made a woman's body to carry and bring forth life.
7512.  how You are preparing me.

7517.  victory in Caleb's thumb-sucking habit
7518.  Seth taking good care of his sick mama
7519.  date night with my man. delicious latte. a quiet moment alone.
7520.  a fresh perspective on waiting
7521.  all the moments I'll find You coming today